The Snow Joe company was founded in 2004 with only one product in their line up. Years later, they invented the revolutionary Snow Joe iON 18SB. Being a prominent cordless electric snowblower, the iON stands as a rare breed among the variety of blowers on the market. This machine proves to be a great alternative to the typical gas powered counterparts or the electric blowers that require a cord.
In general, people look to purchase snowblowers with the hope of clearing snow from their driveways or pathways quickly and easily, leaving the shovels in the past. With multiple high-quality attributes, the iON 18SB makes snow removal a quick and easy task indeed. From its lightweight frame to the various controls on the machine, this Snow Joe device offers homeowners a great solution to their winter endeavors.
When searching for a new snowblower, you will soon find yourself faced with a few decisions to make. There are gas powered, corded electric, and cordless electric snow blowers – the iON 18SB is a cordless electric blower. Within these categories, you will find that there are some differences in power and capabilities.
To determine if the Snow Joe iON is right for you, you should start by evaluating the typical amount of snowfall for your area. If you consistently encounter large amounts of ice and extremely heavy, wet snow, a two-stage gas powered blower is probably the best fit for you. Because the iON 18SB is battery powered, it cannot handle extremely heavy snow or ice. With that said, if your area typically receives a moderate amount of snow with a little ice and occasional heavily packed snow, you would probably appreciate the many benefits of this snowblower.
Coming from a company that strives to provide high-quality products across the board, Snow Joe implements reasonable prices and warranties for all products, including this snowblower.
Product Overview
Meeting and exceeding the criteria for a great snowblower, the iON remains a top pick for your snow clearing needs. A quick overview of this blower includes these features:
• 8-inch snow cut
• Completely cordless
• 40-volt rechargeable lithium ion battery
• Quiet operation
• LED headlight
• Moves up to 495 pounds of snow per minute
• 18-inch clearing width
• 180° electric rotating chute, throws snow 20 feet
• Adjustable handle height
• Single stage brushless motor
• 2-year warranty
• Rubber auger
• Safety key and handlebar
Going into more detail, this blower is very practical and lightweight, as it only weighs 32 pounds. The light weight allows you to easily move this machine around through the thick snow with little to no difficulty. Considering that the depth of the snow cut is about 8 inches, it can be used in many areas all winter.
Among the most favorable features of the iON is the fact that this is a cordless blower. You no longer have to worry about how far your cord or extension cord will reach, as you can move freely with this machine. You will also enjoy starting this snowblower with a simple push of a button, rather than pull cords or filling up with gas first.
In being fully battery powered, the iON blower is exceptionally quiet in comparison to its counterparts. You don’t have to worry about angry neighbors or an annoyingly loud noise early in the morning before the sun even comes up.
With shorter days in the winter and many people trying to make it to work, it is possible that you may have to clear snow in the darkness of the morning or evening. One of the many outstanding features on this machine is a LED light to help illuminate your path. Making your life a bit easier and manageable, this is one of the endless features on the iON that will help you get the job done quickly.
As lightweight as this blower is, it packs a large punch in efficiency. Clearing up to 495 pounds of snow per minute, the iON 18SB snowblower will help you get the job done much faster than a shovel or any other battery powered blower. This 40-volt snowblower clears about an 18-inch wide path as well, so you aren’t faced with excessive and repetitive passes to get the job done. This size is ideal for many homeowners, as it allows the device to be small enough for easy maneuvering, but large enough to clear an effective amount of snow.
With user-friendly attributes, you can also customize this device to operate in the most effective way that suits your needs. For example, you can adjust the handle to fit your height. You won’t have to worry about hunching over or reaching your arms out uncomfortably due to height discrepancies.
Additionally, a great user experience is even extended to the chute on this blower. Many people often struggle with chutes on their machines because, on many other snowblowers, the chute can only be redirected with a crank lever or hardly at all. You would often have to stop your progress to simply adjust the chute with these other machines. With the user in mind, Snow Joe has implemented an electric 180-degree rotating chute on the iON 18SB. Not only does the chute throw the snow up to 20 feet, but the rotation lever is in easy access to the operator. This allows you to change the direction of the chute while keeping the machine in full motion.
You will also happily discover that the Snow Joe iON 18SB requires ultimately no maintenance. This aspect is particularly appealing because all gas blowers require continuous upkeep, from oil changes and refueling to spark plug changes.
Homeowners often avoid battery powered blowers because they usually cannot compete with their gas powered counterparts. With the “throwing action” that is common on these machines, it is hard for a battery to supply adequate energy for an extended period of time. Thankfully, the inventors at Snow Joe have developed a high-quality Eco Sharp lithium-ion battery that keeps the iON 18SB blower running for about 50 minutes, without slowing down. With the three light gauge on the rechargeable battery, you will be able to see how much charge is left so can work accordingly.
Accompanying the respectively long-lasting battery is the long lasting life of this device. Because the iON 18SB has a single stage, brushless motor, you can expect it to last for many years to come. To help ensure the quality of the product lasts through the years, Snow Joe offers a full two-year warranty for the first two years of owning your iON 18 SB. This includes sending replacement parts to you for free, or even setting you up with a totally new machine if something goes seriously wrong.
While the warranty protects the machine very well, you will also find that this snowblower ultimately cannot damage your working surface. With a rubber auger, you will not have to worry about accidentally chipping away at your deck or your driveway. This does not take away from the functionality of the machine as the iON 18SB will still successfully remove snow right down to the surface. These rubber augers are tough enough to handle snow, but they aren’t tough enough to damage concrete or wood when the machine is being used properly.
With damage prevention in mind, the Snow Joe iON 18SB is also a very safe product to use. Preventing injury is very important when operating power tools, and the Snow Joe company definitely puts safety first for these devices. For the machine to even run, a safety key must be inserted into a door covering the battery. Covering the battery is important for the functionality of the machine and the safety of the user since it would risk contact with water if left uncovered.
Another safety feature is the safety handle that you must hold down to operate. This is virtually the “dead man’s switch” and will immediately stop the auger when released. This feature is common and will keep you and people near the machine safe.
From safety to comfortable use, Snow Joe developed this product with the customer in mind. With all of these qualities and features, the iON is regularly listed for $399.
Pros
As there are many outstanding features of the iON snowblower, there are many benefits to owning one of these devices. Starting with the simple cordless factor, you are free to reach into the more complicated spaces and distances. This stands above many other electric blowers that keep operators tied down and limited by cords. With the lightweight design and cordless mobility, you can expect quicker results without sacrificing a quality outcome. You will no longer have to shovel snow or wrestle with a heavy gas powered blower.
Being electric and battery powered, you can proudly use this machine with virtually no carbon footprint. The battery powered iON even has an Energy Star rating, meaning the government has deemed it efficient and environmentally friendly.
Cons
One of the common complaints about the iON 18SB is that the battery doesn’t last as long as some find necessary. Considering it lasts about 50 minutes, you can expect to get a smaller driveway cleared. If you have a larger area that you would consistently need to clear throughout the winter, you may want to purchase another battery to switch out, as this battery does take almost three hours to fully charge.
Another complaint to be aware of is the lack of a consistent throw from the snow chute. Although its maximum throwing distance is about 20 feet, it may not throw the snow as far when there isn’t much mass to pack into the machine. As stated by Joshua on ProTool, the lighter and less snow you have, the less distance your snow will shoot out. He had discovered that in cases of less snow, you can simply push the iON faster to collect more masses of snow, thus creating maximum shooting distance.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a lightweight, user-friendly, cordless snow blower that actually gets the job done, I strongly suggest the Snow Joe iON 18SB. Although it cannot handle excessive or wet snow, it is fully functional in moderate and common snowfall conditions. It is a great solution to your winter needs and will last for many winters to come. With an electronic rotating chute and various safety features, practically anyone can use this machine with ease.
If you think that this model is not quite what you’re looking for, you can see further reviews of battery powered cordless electric snowblowers here.
